Our first Christmas as empty nesters
The kids have left home, and we’re not really coping, so this seems like the perfect chance to lure them back
How to be hopeful: Jung Chang on the moment she knew Mao’s China would become less brutal
The author reflects on an inspiring photograph taken soon after her parents were released from Mao Zedong’s labour camps
How to be hopeful: Nina Stibbe on why optimism is a gift – even if all your plans fall through
The novelist and diarist refused to hope, until she saw how much her sister gained from it, regardless of the outcome
Boys born underweight ‘more likely to have infertility problems’
Experts say men have a higher risk of reproduction issues if born below average size
Record number of over-45s giving birth in England
More than 2,000 women aged 45 and older had babies last year, ONS figures show
Once-a-month contraceptive pill developed by scientists
Gelatine capsule could prevent unplanned pregnancies caused by errors in daily pill use
We’re broke, not poor: how I became downwardly mobile
We have educations, credit cards, were raised with privilege and access – but our lives are filled with financial uncertainty
The Guardian view on prisons and mothers: an injustice
Editorial: The shameful treatment of pregnant inmates and of the children of jailed women must be addressed. No babies should be born behind bars
Pushed to the limit: six birth stories from around the world
From pop songs to warm pools, Candice Pires hears six very different accounts of women’s experience in labour
Pregnant and waiting for your baby? Forget sex and hot baths – here’s my advice
Bananas, nipple stimulation, castor oil: none of these will hasten labour. Instead, soak up your last chance to be alone